Always
by CriminallyCastle
Summary: Hotch and Prentiss go on a chase for a dangerous UNSUB. What happens when they get locked in a storage warehouse, in which the air temperature is below 0 ? What happens when personal feelings begin to get in the way of a case ? *Rated T, just in case.*


**Always.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the show or the characters.

"Hotch, over here." The whisper was sharp and forceful, labored from heavy breathing. She sucked in a deep breath as her knees nearly buckled out from under her due to chasing after their UNSUB. As she caught a sign of movement out of her left peripheral, she took off again, Hotch by her side in seconds. She stared straight ahead as they sprinted, now gaining on their target. To their dismay, the UNSUB turned back at them, a gun pointing square at Emily. The brunette held hers up quickly, stopping short as Hotch followed suit.

The blood rang in Emily's ears, pounding deep within her skull. She could barely hear Hotch shout, "FBI. Drop your weapons."

The team had previously spent all week in New York, chasing a serial killer around the city. They had finally had a break in the case, and had figured out just who their UNSUB was. Emily gasped softly, still trying to catch her breath as her labored pants mixed with her unit chief's. She held her gun at the ready, safety clicked off and ready to spring into action. Her brain raced, still struggling to process everything, yet, she felt as if time was just… frozen.

Sucking in a breath, she kept her eyes on the tall, yet bulky man. His eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the two agents. He observed them, watching as he pointed his gun at the older, taller, male agent, and then at the lean brunette, grinning widely. He ignored the male agent's shouting and instead, turned. Everything happened so fast; within a moment's notice, a truck came out of nowhere, heading straight toward Emily and Hotch. Turning quickly, the two brunette's dove to the side, just in time for the truck to miss them.

As they watched the scene in front of them, they saw the UNSUB climb into the small delivery truck and make a wide U-turn, heading toward them again, and this time gunning the engine as the vehicle picked up speed.

Emily began to fire at the tires of the truck while the second man in the truck returned fire. Emily grunted as Hotch grabbed her shoulder and pulled her forward, "Prentiss, it's no use. Run!" Taking his orders, she turned tail and began running by his side. She followed him down the back alley, huffing as he pulled her over to the side, where a bunch of large storage warehouses aligned the alley. Emily's heart raced as he pulled open the door, letting her crawl under first. She shivered, the hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up. The two men shouted. At each other, or at them, Hotch couldn't tell. He sucked in a deep breath and dove under just as shots began to ring through his ears once more. Hotch quickly pulled the door closed, expecting their adversaries to open it, but hearing the door bang shut, followed by a lock clicking into place.

The brunette agents quickly surveyed their surroundings before shoving at the door, to no avail. "Dammit." Emily muttered softly, now across the warehouse. Hotch moved closer to his female agent, sitting down across from her. "Okay, so we have two UNSUBs now ...But who was the one driving the truck?" He stared down at the cold concrete flooring, not expecting an answer.

Emily shrugged and bit her bottom lip, nibbling on it softly. "Well, we're not going to find out in here." She looked up to catch his mildly disapproving glare, yet to her surprise, it was mixed with a bit of amusement.

"Oh, Prentiss. Thank you for stating the obvious."

She shivered as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and held it up, trying to get a signal, "Got anything?" He watched as Emily mirrored his actions.

"No, no thermostat, no control box either. Must be on the outside." Emily mumbled as she stared down at her phone.

Hotch blinked at her, studying her carefully. He cleared his throat and tried again, "Got any bars on your phone, I mean?"

Emily nodded, "Uh… No. Wait, wait, wait… Nope." She sighed defeated and looked back up at him, meeting his eyes for the first time today. "You?" She watched him shiver, shivering, herself, after he did. "God, how cold do you think it is in here?" She rubbed her arms, trying to create friction to warm herself a bit.

Hotch blinked and shook his head, watching as his own breath was visible in front of him. "Judging by the way it feels, I'd say it is well below freezing." He watched Emily grimace, and he reciprocated it.

"Hotch?" Emily looked up at her unit chief and frowned, "How long do you think we're going to last, dressed like this?" She glanced down at her clothing and sighed softly. At least today she had decided on wearing one of her full length pants suits.

She heard Hotch hum quietly, contemplating her question. "A couple of hours at the most." He finally said softly, not quite knowing what more to say. Although he didn't want to admit it, deep down; he knew they were done for. It was just a matter of time before Emily realized it too.

Emily nodded and turned back toward the door. "That's what I thought, too." After a few moments, Hotch turned to hear a loud clang, followed by a soft groan. Emily had rammed her shoulder into the thick metal door, grunting as the door protested.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... That door's made of steel, Emily. I don't-I don't think that's going to do anything to help." He moved to her side and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder where it throbbed from colliding full on with the door.

She turned on him, shrugging his hand off. "Hotch." She countered him, her dark eyes searching his own hazel eyes. She let out a desperate huff and shook her head. Finally realization had dawned over her. "Nobody knows. Nobody knows that we're in here." She shook her head slightly and licked her lips as she averted her gaze. "Nobody even knows to look for us, Hotch."

He nodded, taking a small step back as a shiver racked his body. "Well, maybe there's another way out…" He couldn't let her give in yet. Once she gave in completely, he knew that they'd be done for in a matter of minutes. His dark haired agent was usually very optimistic, and if she lost that… He didn't know what he'd do. Hotch glanced around the steel warehouse and huffed, turning back to Emily. They were trapped inside a square box. Moving back to the door, he gave Emily a quick once over before nodding. "Right. On three?" He watched Emily nod before counting aloud. "One."

"Two" Emily's breath mingled with his as she counted.

"Three!" Hotch and Emily's voices mixed together as one as they both rammed the door hard, grunting as it still did not budge a bit. "Again... One." Emily panted, pressing against the door, waiting for Hotch to count. On the count of three, they both shoved their shoulders into the steel door once more. The sound of their body slamming into the door rang throughout the room.

Taking in a deep breath, Emily wiped at her brow, gasping softly as her finger came away with tiny ice crystals. She felt Hotch's eyes on her as she stared down at them. The male agent took one look at them and shook his head. "Oh god." He pulled out his gun and inhaled deeply, moving backwards, away from the door. "Stand back."

"Hotch?" Emily looked up, an eyebrow raised. "Hotch, what are you going to-" Before she could even finish her sentence, he began firing at the door. "Ho, Oh!" She took a step back and shielded her face with her hand as the bullets ricocheted off the door. "Hotch!" She screamed out his name, trying to get the man's attention. Once he turned around to look at her, she spoke. "Are you trying to kill us sooner?" She scrutinized him carefully and shook her head incredulously.

Hotch held her eyes for a moment as he stayed silent. He shrugged and turned back to the door. "Well, do you have any better ideas, Emily?" Emily bit her lip, gnawing on it quietly as he waited for her answer. She shrugged slowly and shook her head.

"Just maybe we should save a few rounds for in case they come back." Hotch stared at her a few seconds longer before re-holstering his glock with a sigh.

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"Anything new, Jayje?" Derek asked, phoning her from the first victim's house. He paused, watching Reid walk around the room, surveying it for anything new. He heard her take in air and then exhale as the silence stretched over the phone. JJ and Rossi had gone back to the local PD after taking their suspect's fiancée in for questioning. As far as the fiancée knew, she didn't know anything about her soon-to-be-husband's tendency to make bombs in order to create fear, and then go on a killing streak.

JJ cleared her throat and shook her head. "Nothing yet." She paused, her blue eyes following Rossi's figure, as he examined the map pinpointed all of the locations that their UNSUB had previously been too. "Hey, Derek…" She glanced down at her watch and frowned. "Have you heard from Hotch and Emily?" She inhaled softly and walked away from the room as Dave mumbled under his breath about the details of each case. 

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. It was growing later with each passing minute. He pulled his pager from his pocket, quickly checking for any messages he could have missed. "No, I haven't…you?"

JJ's eyes grew wide. "Oh god…" The blonde agent swallowed and paced down the hallway of the PD. "No. We haven't either. Neither of them will answer their phones, and that is definitely not like either of them. Jessica called a few minutes ago, and said that Hotch hadn't called to say goodnight to Jack…" She took in a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. "Something's wrong."

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Emily shivered violently as she lay against the door, pulling her jacket around her, ever so tightly. "Hotch…" Her voice came in a soft whisper, her body shaking against the cold. "A-are you t-th-there?" Her throat felt raw as she rubbed her hands up and down her slacks, trying to create friction.

It had been hours since they had gotten locked in the warehouse, and hours since JJ had realized something was truly wrong. She had originally thought that they were just busy, but that was definitely not like Hotch. He still would have answered, no matter what.

Hotch leaned forward slightly as he grasped her hand in the darkness. Emily's own hand was numb from the cold, that she could just barely feel his strong hands grab ahold of hers. He slid closer and nodded. "Yeah... I'm r-right here, Emily." He sucked in a soft breath and moved even closer to her. He had to keep her warm. And due to her smaller body, she was freezing faster than he was. Wrapping his muscular arms around her, he pulled her into his chest. "I'm right here." He whispered into her hair, feeling her whole body shake.

She stayed in his embrace, not fighting it, but instead, wrapping her own arms around his as well. It was now nearing morning, and she wasn't sure how much longer they'd last. "I can't feel anything…" She whispered softly, her eyes closing as he rubbed his hand in circles over her back. She heard him trying to comfort her and warm him, and she sighed before another shiver rocked her body. "It's funny. I always thought, being FBI, I'd take a bullet. Never thought I'd freeze to death."

Hotch shushed her by pressing his lips to her hair in a delicate kiss. "Hey, w-we're not dead yet."

She rested her forehead against his chest and shook again, even more violently than before. "I'm s-I'm sorry." She mumbled against his jacket as he pulled it around her as well.

This grabbed his attention, and he looked down at her, his fingers curling through her hair. "Em, what are you talking about, sorry for what?" He watched as she snuggled even closer into him, and shook her head.

"F-for leading you into here. F-for being a pain in your ass, and for-" 

Before she could say any more, Hotch shushed her with a trembling finger to her pale lips. "Emily. You will always be a pain in my ass." He chuckled after he heard her release a tiny chuckle as well. "As for leading me here; it's fine. We needed to find safety. We got away from the UNSUB. You didn't know this would happen." He shrugged and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. His voice was husky with the cold, and he sighed softly.

"Hotch. Thank you… for being there." She slowly looked up, only for her eyes to flutter.

"Always" He mumbled against her forehead, rubbing her back slowly as he held her through their shivering.

Emily shook her head and stared up at him. "I just want you to know how much I…" At that second, her eyes fell closed as one last violent shake racked her body. Hotch held her tighter and gasped, his eyes growing wider as she passed out. 

"Emily? Em, stay with me. Come on, baby. Stay with me, Em. Emily…" Hotch pleaded desperately for his friend to stay awake, not even hearing himself as he shouted. He held her tightly in his lap now, her head resting against his chest. "Emily, you have to stay with me… I-I can't lose you." He exhaled softly, each breath beginning to fade as his body grew weaker each second.

Minutes later, Hotch was only semi-conscious. He vaguely heard the warehouse doors crash against the walls as two figures with bright flashlights hurried towards them. The voices were distorted to him when the figures called out to them. The last coherent thought that ran through his mind was, '_this is it. This is what death feels like.'_

And then just like that, everything was

Black.

"Hotch? Prentiss?"

Derek and JJ gasped softly once they saw the limp bodies of their team mates. Could they already be…? No. JJ couldn't think that way. The blonde swallowed and instinctively backed up, tripping over Derek's foot. He caught her as she chewed on her nails. She turned her face into his muscular chest and shook her head. She had to be strong for her friends.

Chaos erupted from behind them. The scene was flooded with local cops and ambulances. As soon as they had gotten the call from Derek, they came searching. 

It was early morning when the warehouse door had been thrown open, revealing the two agents. As Hotch rode to the hospital on the gurney, a pile of warm blankets thrown around him, and an IV sticking out from his forearm, he awoke slowly, dazed by the intense bright light around him. He quickly sat up, the siren from the ambulance creating a pounding pressure against his skull. The paramedic next to him pushed him back down onto the gurney, but Hotch only sprang up again, glancing around wildly. "Prentiss." His lips were still pale, but they were beginning to return to their old, usual color.

It had taken them over four hours to locate Hotch and Emily, but they had found them alive. Now the question that seemed to be hanging in the air was whether Emily would be strong enough to pull through.

The paramedic pushed him back down once more, not understanding the agent's words. "Easy, pal."

Hotch shook his head and shrugged from the man's grasp. "Where is she?" He continued to ignore the paramedic's orders, needing to know where his female agent was. Panic began to set in as he tried to listen for her voice, trying to remember what exactly had happened… He closed his eyes, beginning to remember bits and pieces.

He remembered running. Lots of running, it was as if he could still feel the pressure of exhaustion in his chest… He could. His chest tightened with panic, making his breathing labored as it all began to come back to him. He shivered instinctively and pulled the blanket up around him as it began to slip off.

"Where is she?!" He asked again, this time more fervently. He still couldn't think or see straight, his heartbeat pulsing faster and faster each second. Where was she? Was she alright? Did she survive? He heard a loud drumming in his ears. Was that his heartbeat he was hearing? Surely it was way too loud to be his own… He swallowed, the veins in his neck throbbing. He felt himself being forced back onto the gurney. Unable to refuse, his body gave in and he sat back down. He took in a deep breath as a familiar face came into view.

A familiar face,

But not Emily. No. 

"Hotch, it's me. It's Derek." Derek crouched in front of his unit chief, waiting patiently for Hotch to respond. Finally the older man looked up and swallowed. "Hotch. I need you to listen to me. Alright? Calm down. Emily's going to be just fine. You're going to be fine. We got to you just in time."

"Derek."

"Yes, Hotch." He exhaled slowly and began, "So, you're recovering from a moderate case of hypothermia and you're going to be a little bit sluggish for a while. But, with some warmth and some fluids, you should be alright. The doctors are doing everything they can, pumping fluids into Emily and trying to regulate her body temperature… She-" He paused, not sure exactly how to put it. This caught Hotch's attention. He finally pulled out of his delusional state and stared at Morgan with wide dark eyes. 

"You said she'd be fine-"

Derek nodded as he let out a long, even breath. "I know. Hotch, Emily is… Emily's not doing so well." Hotch sucked in a breath, his chest aching even more now. It felt like somebody was sitting on top of him. The pounding returned to Hotch's ears, and he barely even heard Derek continue. The younger agent shook his head and bit his lip. "Due to Emily's smaller body mass, the rate at which her temperature decreased was much quicker than yours… It was easier for paramedics to regulate your temperature because your body heat did not drop as low as hers, but Emily…" He stopped, unable to continue. His throat grew sore, as it constricted, making it harder to swallow.

Hotch inhaled, his breaths coming in short wheezes. "Is she…" 

The paramedic cleared his throat as the ambulance pulled up to the back of the hospital. "Lay down, please." He waited for the agent to do as instructed before wheeling out the stretcher. 

Derek sighed softly, ignoring the question Hotch had begun to ask. He pulled out his phone quickly, scrolling through a message from JJ, before helping the paramedic with his friend. "Hotch, they're going to take you in to be looked at… Jayje had gone with Emily in the other ambulance. They arrived a few minutes ago, and they brought her into the ICU. I'll-"

Before he could say anything else, Hotch nodded, "Go, watch over her for me… Tell her-tell her to fight." His feelings did not need to be spoken. The team knew it was only just a matter of time for Hotch to reveal his true feelings for the brunette. The only one who did not know, however, was Emily.

Derek nodded firmly, squeezing his shoulder with the promise that he would keep Emily alive.

_**A/N: Thank you to all who have read this first chapter. Second chapter should be up so… Also, to my other readers, I will post another chapter to my "Strawberry Fields and Summer Days" fic. Hopefully I can update my other stories soon, as well… We'll see.**_

_**Please be sure to leave a review. They make for a happier author, and a happy author means more fics. Thanks !**_

_**-Em.**_


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